1950 Austin A40 Gasser Pickup

A friend had been pursuing this Austin A40 for the past 43 years since the project was started. He happened to ride by the owners house about 35 years ago and helped to push it from the garage to the back yard, where it sat until recently. Two years ago, I was offered the opportunity to purchase his Model A Ford Tudor Sedan so that he could finance this project. Soon thereafter, someone at the Billet Proof Drags mentioned an A40 pick up that was on the local craigslist site. After calling the number, I was told that the truck had been purchased by the guy that I was speaking with and that the price had doubled. Not only that, but we were not even allowed to see it without handing him 5k. After a few months of asking around, we had given up. Two years later, while out looking for cars with a friend and his “broker”, I was taunted with an A40 pick up that the broker swore that he would never sell to “someone like me”. Even after a month of trying, he would not budge. That was when we started to figure out his scam. We then went by the original owner’s house and peeked over the fence and there she sat, just as she had the last 35 years. A three hour conversation and a handful of cash later and she was coming home with us.

The tag was still in place from the last time it was driven in 1971 along with the vise mount on the bumper, a reminder of it’s past life as a Gulf service station truck. The original bonnet and fenders had been cut up and replaced with a fiberglass one piece nose. That, was unfortunately, not the last of our woes. While pulling it out of the yard, the front of the chassis broke off. The stock frame rails were only about 16 gauge and the Florida weather had taken it’s toll.